budgeting,  mom

January favorites

January 31, 2020 /

Well, I am refraining from mindlessly clicking add to cart on Amazon and thinking through before making any clothing purchases but this past week, I did add 2 things to my closet.

# 1 Tommy HIllfiger black puffer jacket

My puffer jacket is a hand me down from my mother in law and while I do like the white color of it with its crispness, it is a little large and not always practical. After putting some thought into it, I decided that I wanted a black puffer jacket with a hood for the end of this winter and for the future. Such a jacket would be practical if we decide to go on vacation in the winter which I hope to do next week if we do not get any snow here this year. The littlest has never seen snow and the others are asking for snow! The jacket is fitted and will last for many years to come. Lastly, since it is nearing the end of the season, I got it on sale and even found an extra 25% percent off on top of the sale.

# 2 Amazon Tile bracelet

Kellyann from This Blonde Shopping Bag shared her new tile bracelets from Accessory Concierge and linked up some from Amazon. They were so different from anything I had so I grabbed a set which turned out to be 15% off flash deal. They are so fun!

# 3 Our bikes

These are really my number one! We found some Raleigh bikes on Facebook marketplace early January. A pair of bikes with car rack, helmets and lock. It was more than we planned to spend but these bikes are way nicer than $50 bikes we could have found. The comfort is amazing, the seat and suspension are great.

We just need to buy a bike seat for the baby so until then, we will bike while he naps with grandma at home.  These bikes will provide our family with a lot of fun outdoor adventures!

# 4 Birthday boy!

My next to last turned 6 this month! We had a fun dragon party with yummy desserts!

We scored with this big dragon on 50% clearance at Target and this boys loves it! I used my cricut for the fun little garland on the fire place as well as the stencils for the cakes.

 

I had thought about ordering a cake from Publix for a change but they didn’t have anything dragon related and I did not think a sheet cake would be that create. After thinking about it, I figured I could make my own stencils to create fun dragons and he loved it! And to boot, it was very inexpensive! Birthday on a budget!

# 5 Bread and bows

I finally got back to bread baking! We enjoy bread for breakfast, snack or a side for dinner. Homemade bread tastes so much better than store bought. I have made one or two a week this month.

Another great purchase that I mentioned in one of my posts was the boys Christmas gifts: compound bows! My almost 9 year old practices most days and has gotten good! This was his 8 out of 9 shots!

He is getting a real archery target for this birthday on Monday. We will still use boxes and probably get another target (the archery targets are almost as expensive as the bows: so paper target and boxes are great options!).

Here are the boys in action, but they did not hit the target. You can hear me speaking French since I had taken the video to send it to my bestie in France.

So there you have it, my January favorites!

A bientôt!

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30 Comments

  • Lisa notes

    January 31, 2020 at 7:56 am

    Your jacket looks both warm and such a good fit. I have a smaller puffer jacket and I never knew I would choose to wear it so often as I have! It was a gift from my in-laws and I’ve appreciated it more and more each year. How wonderful that your family bikes together. It’s worth getting bikes that are good since you’ll use them again and again. I’m impressed with your dragon cake! 🙂 Great job. I’ve never heard of a strawberry icebox cake, but I need to look into that.

  • Ellibelle

    January 31, 2020 at 10:34 am

    Happy belated birthday to your son! The stuffed dragon looks amazing!
    Loving your new black coat! I still haven’t gotten one, but I do have enough winter coats so will wait for a really great deal!
    I need to get back to baking bread as well. I’m German living in the US, and can’t stand the traditional American bread LOL. My problem is when I bake bread I want to eat it all at once!
    Hope you’re having a good weekend!
    https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2020/01/allsorts-challenge-556-take-flight.html

    • mimifce

      January 31, 2020 at 4:57 pm

      I agree about the bread: we all love it when I bake it and we go through one very quickly: butter and jam, just butter, butter and honey, nutella…

  • Claire

    January 31, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    Love your new coat, it looks warm and cosy. Whoo, I could just eat some of your strawberries cake, yummy 🙂

    Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at 40 Years Cousins Reunion In Brighton: Wordless Or Not So Wordless Wednesday Link Up. I hope you can join us on Monday 🙂

  • Joanne

    January 31, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    Those cakes turned out great! I love that new winter jacket too. I bought my first ever puffer jacket last year and I have gotten so much use out of it that I’ve been kicking myself for not having bought one sooner.

    • mimifce

      January 31, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      I had one from my mother in law but it is too large and being white not as practical dirt wise. I have already worn it 3 times this week: it is nice walking to the bus stop!

    • mimifce

      February 1, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      Thank you Kathrine! Another birthday to celebrate this coming week but the cakes won’t look as cute. No theme so less creativity on my part.

  • jodie filogomo

    January 31, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    I just love those bracelets. I almost bought them too, but I’m trying to show restraint.
    OXOX
    Jodie

    • mimifce

      February 1, 2020 at 1:51 pm

      Good job on the restraint job: I bought a weekender bag today that I probably didn’t need but I will get lots of use of. I did get rid of a lot of jewelry this past month especially necklaces that I had not worn in years. 2 purses made it to the donation bag and were gone today!

    • mimifce

      February 1, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      I know: been only cold in the mornings here usually but standing outside watching the kids play, I get cold. I just wear ligther layers under lol!

    • mimifce

      February 1, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      Found another recipe on Pinterest today and trying it out. Don’t like waiting 24 h for dough to rise so always like to find some that only take a couple of hours.

  • Amy Johnson

    February 1, 2020 at 11:37 am

    It’s so hard not to buy everything on your Amazon wish list, isn’t it? I love that parka. It is perfect for a Wisconsin winter. The dragon party looks so cute!

    • mimifce

      February 1, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      I am ready for the cold! I figured it would be a good investment since I can wear it for years to come and I am hoping to go somewhere cold next winter!

  • Shelbee on the Edge

    February 1, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    Those are all such great purchases, Mireille! I do love the bracelets that Kellyann has been showing off. So glad that you grabbed them up, too! They are adorable. And what fun to take family bike rides. We need to do more things like that…if ever my husband were home. Sheesh. I love seeing the boys in action with their bows and it was so fun to hear your lovely voice! Happy Dragon Birthday to your little guy, too! Thanks for sharing and linking up.

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • mimifce

      February 2, 2020 at 7:01 am

      Hubby only has been home on Saturdays in the last few years so we are now able to do more family activities. Used to be just me and boys. He does travel now tue-fri every week so during week when we have time especially on breaks the adventures are just me and the kids.

  • Mica

    February 1, 2020 at 5:17 pm

    Your new coat looks lovely and such a practical purchase with your cold weather! I hope you do get to take the kids to see snow – there are a few “snow” themed events here for Christmas but it’s obviously not real snow in the middle of summer, haha! I’d love to take the kids to see snow one day! 🙂 I was surprised it didn’t snow when we were in Europe – it was certainly cold enough in Scotland!

    Hope that you are having a lovely weekend 🙂

    • mimifce

      February 2, 2020 at 6:58 am

      Even though we will live in the south of the US we do get some cold days so I have already worn it a few times. For snow we need to travel several hours at least if not more. There is a park here that does fake snow in the winter with slides and fun activities and it looks real but a little pricey. I want the real thing!

  • Chrissy

    February 2, 2020 at 5:16 pm

    The puffer jacket is so practical and fun. I have a black one as well and though I don’t use it as much anymore, I’m glad it’s there! Who knows, maybe I’ll travel to somewhere cold here soon! And that bracelet is so fun…I’ve been seeing the rainbow bracelets quite a bit. Good for you for grabbing one!